Can opening device



J 1954 A: J. DZIALDOWSKI 2,680,537 CAN OPENING DEVICE Filed April 17, 1953 INVENTOR /5 ADAM J 0Z/ALDOW6K/ Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,680,537 CAN OPENING DEVICE Adam J.

Application April 17,

Claims.

relates to an improved opening device and more particularly to an opening device including guide means for use with cans having tear-strip openers.

Considerable difiiculty is often encountered in opening cans carrying tear-strip openers circumferentially extending around the cans. This difficulty arises from the fact the tear-strips often are wound loosely and unevenly on the key during the unwinding of the strlp. When this 00- vices contemplated heretofore moval of the tear-strip in the desired manner. However, these prior devices, although attempting to guide the tear-strip and ostensibly elimihate any loose winding, such devices have not positively insured a smooth, uniform and tight unwinding of the strip on the key with no possibility of slippage occurring during the unwinding. For example, one such device has provided a channel guide having spaced slotted openings in in the slot by pressure of the fingers against the key in the slots in order to prevent anyslipping or accidental displacement of the key during the opening of a can. This prior device is undesirable since it requires guide means at all times.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a guide means for Dzialdowski, Berwick, Pa.

1953, Serial No. 349,359 (Cl. 220-52) Still another object of the present invention is cons ruction of ciation with one particular form of the guide openings in each of said side members With at least one opening being completely enclosed, said openings being centrally positioned and in transverse relationship to the central cut-out area of said bottom member. In the modified form of the principle of the invention may be employed.

illustrating how it is secured to the top cover of the can along side the key;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the guide means detachable tear-strip;

Fig. 3 is a. top plan view of a guide device made accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. -5 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 3 particularly illustrating the inclination of the tongue elements by which the tear-strip "is evenly wound;

f" the can along Fig. 6 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 3 illustrating how the key is detachably engaged by one side of the guide device;

Fig. 7 is a top view of a device made in accordance with the present invention illustrating the position of the key and the guide means after a tear-strip is removed and wound from a can; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of a key and guide device made in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing and with par ticular reference to Figs. 3-6, the guide device made in accordance with the present invention and generally designated by reference numeral It, comprises a bottom member if having a small central area cut out transverse to its longitudinal axis, spaced end sections it and it at each end thereof, a first tongue section i=1 united at one end to the inside edge of said end section l2 and upwardly inclined therefrom, a second tongue section if: secured to the opposite end section it along its inside edge and extending downwardly therefrom. The upwardly and downwardly inclined tongue sections I4 and i5 extend inwardly toward one another and toward the cut-out area. The tongue sections it and 15 are spaced from one another at their free edges and with the inclination of the tongue sections resulting in each lying substantially parallel to one another with their free ends extending in opposite directions. This construction results in an area in which the tear-strip will be wound with the free edges of the tongue section it! and is functioning as resilient bearing points against the tear-strip during its unwinding at diametrically opposite points.

A pair of spaced side members it and H, which may be of triangular configuration as shown, are joined at their respective bottom edges adjacent their ends to the end sections it and 63 at right angles thereto. This construction defines the guide channel in which the tear-strip will be wound. Side member 16 is provided with a circular opening H at a point above and centrally with respect to the cut-out section of the bottom member H. The side member 16 having the circular hole the guide device when in use. The spaced opposite side member l8 which will function as the top of the guide device when it is in use is provided with a slot I80. in which the neck portion is smaller in diameter than the main area of the slot in order to permit the shank of the key to be inserted therein by a snap action and yet be freely rotatable therein.

Therefore, in one form of the invention, there is provided a cooperating hole and a snap-action slot spaced from one another. In this form, the bottom member must always contain the hole and the top member contain the slot in order to prevent the accidental slipping of the key from the guide device while in use. If the key is confined in a hole at its bottom accidental displacement cannot occur. However, while this is the preferred form of the invention, two holes may be employed rather than a hole and a slot. This modified form will be discussed and described hereinafter.

In the operation of this form of the invention, the guide device it may be secured to the top surface of the can (see Fig. l) or to the side the tear-strip (see Fig. 2) by means of spot soldering or the like. When the (I will function as the bottom of. v

' strip during the clockwise and with guide device It is secured to the top surface it is removed therefrom in a manner similar to that employed in removing a conventional key therefrom. The guide device i0 is placed against the tear-strip 19 having a free starting end 20 which is tilted or bent upwardly into the cutout area of the bottom member H. The key 2| is then removed from the can and inserted in the opening if of the bottom or side member [6 and the free end of the tear-strip 20 is inserted in the slot 22 of key 2!. The upper half of the key 2! is then snapped into the slot 18a of the opposite side member IS. The tear-strip is then removed by winding the tear-strip clockwise in a speedy and safe manner.

During the unwinding of the strip is the upwardly inclined section it and the downwardly inclined section it: will engage the tear-strip during its unwinding at all times and will act as tensioning or hearing means as well as guide means for the tear-strip at opposite points thereof to insure a constant uniform pressure against the moving surface on either side thereof. As the tear-strip is unwound the inclined portions i l and iii are resilient enough to be expanded at the free ends as the size of the strip increases. It is particularly important that these inclined sections i4 and i5 engage the strip at opposite points and to function in cooperative relationship with the side members l5 and 16 in order to insure the necessary opposite pressure against the moving surface of the tear-strip Hi while the side members 15 and i6 act to prevent any lateral displacement of the winding opening of the can.

In employing the device when attached to the side of the can as shown in Fig. 2, the guide device F3 is associated on the tear-strip l9 over the free starting end 2*.) with the free end 20 being slight y turned upwardly in starting position. The guide device H5 is secured to the tearstrip by a very light spot solder or similar means. To remove the tear-strip i9, the key 22 is inserted at the hole El and the free end 26 inserted in the slot 22 and the upper half of the key 2! is then snapped into the restricted slot I80, and held in place thereby. The key 2! is then moved a slight pressure the guide device if: is broken from the tear-strip and the winding therebetween is begun. This method of attaching is very desirable since the manufacturer of the can can positively insure the proper positioning ofthe guide on the tear-strip and permits the removal of the tear-strip solely by means of one hand.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 8, the guide device is of substantially identical construction as the guide device it: with the exception that the side member or top section 18 is provided with a hole 23 rather than a slot as shown in Fig. 6. When this modified form of the device is employed a particular necessary. This particular type key comprises a shank 24 and a top loop 25 secured at one end thereof. The shank 2-4 is split centrally and upwardly from the bottom free end forming spaced legs 26 and 21. When employing the modified form of the device shown in Fig. 8, the free end 23 of the tear-strip i9 is raised in starting position and the modified key is inserted in the top hole 23 in side member l8 and pushed downwardly with the spaced legs 23 and 21 passing between and on e ther side of the free end 2% of the tear-strip l9 and into hole ll of the side member It. The purpose of the modified key is to permit the ready engagement of the free end of the tear-strip 20 during the insertion of the key in the aligned openings. If the key was not slotted considerable difliculty Having thus described the invention, I claim: 1. A guide device for use with cans having tear-strip openers comprising a base member, oppositely is provided with a guide-way slot in alignment with said hole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,985,290 Hildebrandt Dec. 25, 1934 2,300,270 Wakefield Oct. 27, 1942 2,572,820 Schluter Oct. 23, 1951 

